A memorial's commission is often a complex and controversial affair. Both commissions
outlined here seek to commemorate a great loss to the country: the assassination of a president and the war dead
of a surprise attack that brought the United States into World War II. In each case, the initiative for commemoration
began at the local level while addressing an event of national significance.

The movement to commemorate the life of William McKinley was initiated immediately
following his death. Competing local efforts coalesced in a committee led by members of the Columbus Board of Trade
and representatives of the city's six leading newspapers. The committee recommended raising a minimum of $25,000
to a maximum of $100,000 for the completion of a memorial statue or monument and established a subscription fund
whose first contributions were received on October 2, 1901. Various commemorative forms were considered, among
them a memorial industrial institute at the Ohio State University. The Grand Army of the Republic and the Union
Veteran's League proposed a Memorial Hall for the use of veterans of all wars. Ultimately the committee decided
to erect a heroic monument as a tribute to the respect which the citizens of Columbus held for their former governor
and fallen president.

Receipts in the subscription fund were disappointing. The State of Ohio offered
support by providing use of the Capitol Square site at the High Street entrance to the State Capitol Building.
The state agreed to match donations to the fund if a $25,000 goal could be raised. The goal was met on January
7, 1903.

In 1902, sculptor Hermon Atkins MacNeil visited Columbus at the request of the
memorial committee and offered suggestions for the location and style of a suitable memorial to McKinley. While
newspaper accounts indicate that other artists were invited to submit proposals, there is no evidence that any
other sculptor was seriously considered. MacNeil was awarded the commission on January 9, 1903.

In 1943, only two years after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, Tony Todaro proposed
building a "Shrine of Pearl Harbor." Although his design was quite different from the current USS
Arizona Memorial, it nevertheless illustrated the country's desire to "Remember Pearl Harbor."
A year later, another memorial was proposed by Herbert Knowles. These memorials never came to fruition.

Reacting to local desires, the state of Hawaii established the Pacific War Memorial
Commission (PWMC) in 1949 to plan war memorials in Hawaii. The commission planned to construct a platform over
the wreckage of the sunken battleship USS Arizona. On nearby Ford Island, the PWMC also planned an observation
deck and museum. A platform was built over the ship in March of 1950, due to the efforts of Admiral Arthur Radford,
Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Naval fleet. He also petitioned and received permission to install a flagpole
on the ship's wreckage for a flag to be raised and lowered every day at the site.

The reality of establishing a permanent memorial seemed apparent when members of
the Navy unofficially allied with the PWMC in May of 1956. Before both parties could act, they required Congressional
Legislation to secure the legal aspects of the project. Congress passed Public Law 85-344 on March 15, 1958, however
this bill did not include any federal funding. The $150,000 in federal appropriation was granted on September 6,
1961. The memorial cost over $500,000; the remainder of the funding arrived in various forms. The Hawaiian legislature
allocated $50,000 to the PWMC in hopes of bolstering Hawaiian tourism. On March 25, 1961 Elvis Presley played to
a soldout crowd at Bloch Arena at Pearl Harbor and raised $65,696.73 for the PWMC. Targeting a national audience,
the PWMC worked with the popular show, "This Is Your Life" to solicit public subscription. The show aired
on December 3, 1958, a date very close to the anniversary of the Arizona's sinking, and raised $95,000
dollars in the month of December. The remainder of the money arrived in the form of public subscription.